Russian Through Propaganda (Books 1 & 2)

Beginning with the Russian alphabet and ending with readings of Soviet-era poetry and prose in the original, these volumes provide thorough coverage of Russian grammar, illustrated with Soviet propaganda posters. Topics include verb conjugation, tense and aspect, verbs of motion, case endings, reflexive verbs, numbers, indefinites, and much more.

Russian Through Poems and Paintings (Books 3 and 4)

The series continues by reaching further back in Russian history, to the Imperial period, with daily poems from the likes of Pushkin and Lermontov, and a survey of Russian art. Topics include deverbal forms (participles), advanced verbs of motion and verbs of position, and extensive work with word formation. Reading selections include Pushkin, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Goncharov, and Nekrasov.

Zamyatin’s “We” Now Available!

I’m excited to finally announce that the latest title in the “Reading Russian” series is now available, both in paperback and for Kindle. This title is something very different from the ones I’ve done so far. Chances are you may never even have heard of this novel — but if you haven’t, you should really check it out; most students I talk to who have read it have loved it. This is a genre-defining work of modern dystopian science fiction that, despite being written in 1920-21, is disturbingly prophetic in its depiction of a totalitarian state. The elements of Soviet society in particular that were foreseen by Zamyatin are laid out with uncanny accuracy — from sham elections (or rather “Days of Unanimity”), to a cult of personality, to efforts to colonize space in the name of ideology, to stifling surveillance by secret police, arrests, interrogations, and executions… the list goes on and on. Although very funny in places, this novel is ultimately chilling. It’s undoubtedly a can’t-miss classic of Russian literature.

Free text: Introducing Dostoevsky

This is a reasonably brief introduction to the world of ideas in Dostoevsky’s works, presented through key excerpts from his novels and other writings. Many of the passages contain elements from his own biography, from his mock execution and imprisonment, to his struggles with epilepsy. Along the way, the focus is on questions of life’s meaning amidst suffering and on Dostoevsky’s own formulation of faith in defiance of doubt and despair. I have tried to keep this text spoiler-free. While it is intended for readers completely new to Dostoevsky (specifically, for use in my college courses on Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky, and Russian Religious Philosophy), it may also be of interest even to those already familiar with his work.

I’ve included the original Russian (or Greek, etc.!) text with facing translation, as usual, though there’s no vocabulary here, since this isn’t really one of my usual Russian readers.

I will likely edit, supplement, and update this text from time to time.